Newbie jet-skier who rode from Scotland to Isle of Man ‘did it for love’

Dale McLaughlan, who rode four hours on a jet ski to see his girlfriend on the Isle of Man – and was subsequently jailed – has appeared on Good Morning Britain, saying ‘he did it for love’.

McLaughlan made the four-and-a-half hour crossing from the Isle of Whithorn to Ramsey on 11 December.

As reported by MIN, he’d originally anticipated that the journey of about 25 miles, would take about 40 minutes.

After arrival, McLaughlan walked another 15 miles to his girlfriend’s home in Douglas.

He was subsequently jailed. Under current Isle of Man coronavirus laws, McLaughlan was required to leave the island after his release or face further prosecution.

“I don’t understand why he’s been told to leave when he’s isolated for two weeks before he came over with a negative test,” Jessica Radcliffe, his girlfriend, told the BBC .

“He had a negative test in jail, he didn’t put any of the public at risk, and he’s done isolation in jail.

“That’s four weeks already, so why does he need to leave the island? To punish him this much, they shouldn’t be doing that.”